


Constellation

by motherbearof3



Series: Bites From the Apple [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Married Life, Pregnancy and Childbirth, death of a child, dramione - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24261418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherbearof3/pseuds/motherbearof3
Summary: Hermione looks to the sky for a special constellation.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Series: Bites From the Apple [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1042418
Comments: 11
Kudos: 72





	Constellation

**Author's Note:**

> This was prompted by some beautiful art on tumblr by trinkisme. I went in a different direction than probably most people expect, but when the muse speaks one must listen. Heed the tags as some may find this hard to read.

_“I had no right to claim him, I knew it. But in a solitary life, there are rare moments when another soul dips near yours, as stars once a year brush the earth. Such a constellation he was to me.”_

_-from_ _Circe_ _, by Madeline Miller_

Hermione waited, as she did every year, for the summer sky to darken and Antares, the brightest star in the grouping, to appear. The constellation sat so low on the horizon that she could only see the top half of the pattern. But she knew what the whole thing looked like. She had stitched it by hand onto the Malfoy tapestry beside his name.

Scorpius. Scorpius Lucius Malfoy.

When they first started talking about having children, Draco told her if it was a boy -- and he was smugly confident their firstborn would be -- he wanted his son to be named Scorpius and with the same middle name as he had been given. Any misgivings Hermione had about giving him Lucius’ name had fled when she saw the tears in the senior Malfoy’s eyes upon hearing the news.

Her pregnancy was uneventful. Too easy, Ginny said enviously. She barely gained any excess weight, never had morning sickness or swollen ankles, even though the last weeks were some of the hottest on record. Harry said he hoped his godson would be born on his birthday and when she went into labor at his annual party, laughed and held out a hand to collect a Galleon from Ron. Hermione labored with Molly, Ginny and Fleur at her side while Draco paced the hallway anxiously and Harry teased him about being too pureblood to be in the birthing room. When Ginny finally appeared at the doorway he took two eager steps forward but came up short when he realized the room behind her was silent. Draco shoved past her while the red-haired witch moved into her husband's embrace.

“Granger?”

Hermione was sitting in their bed holding a swaddled bundle. Her face, which should have been radiant, was pale and drawn. She met his gaze and her lips trembled.

“I’m sorry, Draco,” she said. “Molly tried everything.”

His body, tiny and perfect, with a downy cap of platinum white hair on his head, was buried with Narcissa. Hermione said she couldn’t bear him to be alone. 

“Has he appeared yet?”

Draco’s voice came softly from behind her and she turned to see him approaching with Stella in his arms. Their daughter was born two years to the day after her brother.

“Just.”

Hermione pointed, even though she didn’t need to. Her husband knew the night sky better than she. It was he who had shown her his dragon constellation and then their son’s. Draco sat beside her, settling the sleepy toddler on his lap. She was the image of her mother except that the color of her curls and eyes were his.

“I thought it was time to introduce Stella to her big brother,” he said.

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is really really short and the verbose part of me kept trying to lead me astray and add more to this, but I forced myself to keep it focused on the idea spurred from the art. I wanted so much to add more details! It took me about a half an hour to come up with Stella's name. I researched the constellations that neighbor Scorpius and also the origin of Hermione's name but nothing felt right until I thought of Stella. Also, personal note, Scorpius is buried with Narcissa because my MIL had a baby before hubs that lived only a few days and he is buried with her MIL because she didn't want him to be alone. I hope I haven't made you all too sad with this!


End file.
